I freakin’ did it! I wasn’t sure I could hit my goal of reading 200 books in 2023 until I was just a couple of books away, but I did it!
I set the goal — my highest ever — because I saw readers on TikTok bragging about having read 200 books in a year. I’m a competitive gal, so I took it as a double-dog dare.
Of course, now I see BookTokers bragging about reading 400+ books this year, and I’m like, “Good for you, friend. You go!” I’m not even trying to read that many books. There’s no way! I read way too slowly for that.
I’ll write a full post about my 2023 year of reading and my annual review lists in the coming weeks. Until then, I just wanted you to know that I accomplished my goal, and, of course, I have reading plans for 2024.
My Favorite Books of December 2023
I read 16 books in December. Of those, I gave eight perfect grades. Those eight consisted of two nonfiction and the rest fiction. Here are my reviews.
After That Night
I’m usually not all about series. I just can’t make that kind of commitment to a single character or author when there are so many incredible books out there. But Karin Slaughter is my queen, so I made an exception for the new Will Trent book, After that Night, and of course, she slayed it.
Sara Linton was attacked 15 years ago while she was in medical school residency. Now she’s a successful doctor and is engaged to Special Agent Will Trent, a handsome, controversial cop with a past of his own.
But when Sara treats a young woman who was brutally attacked and left for dead, the past seems all too present. Is the woman’s attack related to her own? Sara and Will work to find the culprit and connect any other attacks before there are more victims.
Bone Cold
I didn’t want to love Bone Cold by Erica Spindler. It was the last book I read in 2023, so I wasn’t keen on adding another review to my to-do list, but I couldn’t help it.
Anna North was kidnapped 23 years ago and held for ransom. Before she escaped, her captor cut off her little finger. After returning home, her famous parents convinced everyone she was dead so she could live a private life.
Now, Harlow Grail is working as a novelist when she starts getting strange messages. Clearly, someone knows who she is and is ready to relive the past.
Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content
I read Ann Handley’s second edition, Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, with my media writing students. The crutch of the book is simple — we may not all be journalists or authors, but we’re all writers. Why? Because, from social media updates to email messages, we’re all writing every day.
In this book, Ann provides writing rules on everything from basic grammar to writing headlines for marketing content.
The second edition is still a must-read, although I admit to not having the “wow” responses that I did with the first edition. I had already read most of it, after all.
But the chapters are still short, the tips easily understood, and the examples updated.
As in the first edition, Ann’s witty personality shines through in her writing, and, for me, her journalism background and success with MarketingProfs give her the credibility she needs to be an expert on my favorite subject — writing.
I’ll continue reading this book with media writing students every semester I teach it.
Stolen Things
Do not mess with a woman’s child. That’s the underlying message in R.H. Herron’s book, Stolen Things. A mother won’t stop. She will save her child and get revenge for them, too.
Laurie Ahmadi is working her shift as a 9-1-1 dispatcher when she receives a panic-stricken call from her teenage daughter, Jojo. Jojo is disoriented, in pain, and doesn’t know where she is.
Laurie and her police chief husband, Omid, find Jojo at the home of a pro football player, covered in blood and unable to remember what happened to her.
As Laurie and Omid try to find out what happened that night and who was involved, they confront disturbing truths about the officers in their department and about each other.
Strange Sally Diamond
Here’s the thing about me: I’m gonna love a kooky character. I can’t help myself, which is why I loved Liz Nugent’s book, Strange Sally Diamond. The book was a little bit thriller/mystery and a whole lot of “who is this unusual woman?” It was right up my alley.
Sally Diamond’s father told her to just put him out with the trash when he died. So, that’s what she did. Her father died, and Sally put him in the incinerator with the other garbage.
Oops! Turns out that wasn’t exactly her father’s plan.
Also, he’s not actually her father.
The sheltered woman then tries to learn to make it in the world alone, all while learning about and dealing with her troubled past and figuring out just what people actually mean by what they say.
The Weight of Blood
I heard Tiffany Jackson’s book, The Weight of Blood, described as a modern-day, race-focused retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie. How could I not read it?
Springville students don’t know Maddy is part Black — until they do. And once they do, they torment the girl even more than usual.
People in the small town like to pretend they’re not racist. In an attempt to prove the point, they decide to host the first-ever integrated prom.
When the superstar quarterback asks Maddy to the prom, she thinks her luck is finally changing. But it’s all just a trick that he’s not in on.
What Springville residents don’t realize is that Maddy Washington has powers, and she’s not going to take their racist bullying anymore.
The Woman in Me
Is she nuts? Are they all nuts and abusive? What in the hell is going on here?
I was a little old for the Brittany Spears craze, but The Woman in Me got so much attention that I had to read it.
Needless to say, I was left with more questions than answers.
It seems clear that Brittany was in two terrible relationships with significant others. It also seems abundantly clear that her parents overstepped their boundaries and used her talents and fame for their own profit. But is Brittany capable of caring for herself? I finished the book uncertain that she isn’t also seriously ill.
It seems like there’s a lot more to this story.
More than anything, I hope she can find peace, happiness, and the independence she deserves.
You Loved Me Once
You Loved Me Once by Corrine Michaels gave serious Grey’s Anatomy vibes.
Ren has thrown herself into her career as a doctor and tries not to think about how she can’t get close to anyone, even the handsome doctor she’s dating, because of a long-ago broken heart.
She’s totally focused on her new clinical trial, which could help women with cancer avoid hysterectomies. But guess whose wife is one of her patients?
Ren is faced with conflict between her own medical ethics, her past love, the possibilities of the future, and a sick woman’s wishes. What will she do?
Happy Reading!
There they are! My eight favorite books of December. I hope you find something on the list to read and love.
Keep a lookout for my big lists of 2023 favorites in the coming weeks!
As always, happy reading!
